2011 Guessing Contest

[MotoBoat]

WOW! Look at all the fun I missed. Congrats Yooper!
I just returned this morning from a four month tug boat ride so coming in second is quite a surprise.

Oh man! Just reread the numbers I missed by only 7! I coulda been a contender! LOL Good thing I wasn't here, I coulda come up with seven more members but wouldn't have felt good about it. ;) Looks like a few changes at the site, getting reacquainted. Time to get some ice fishing in before it melts!

Again, Congrats Yooper!

Purdy close indeed. Do they let you fish from the tug? Or is it moving 24hrs a day until reaching its intended destination?

[MarkFromSea]

We did fish while towing. Four lines, tuna jigs, improvised outriggers... We caught mahi mahi mostly, a barracuda, a wahoo. Trolled from just south of CA, to Panama then Panama to Brownsville, TX. We also drug the lures both sides of Cuba, Dominican Republic, to, Puerto Rico and back to Mobile, Alabama. About a 10,000 mile journey over about 3 months from 5-13 knots depending on what we were towing. 7-8 knots seemed to be the most productive but our speed was solely chosen to get our tow to it's destination quickly and keep the pyros/exhaust under 1000*f. Yes, 24 hours a day under way most of the time.

[MotoBoat]

We did fish while towing. Four lines, tuna jigs, improvised outriggers... We caught mahi mahi mostly, a barracuda, a wahoo. Trolled from just south of CA, to Panama then Panama to Brownsville, TX. We also drug the lures both sides of Cuba, Dominican Republic, to, Puerto Rico and back to Mobile, Alabama. About a 10,000 mile journey over about 3 months from 5-13 knots depending on what we were towing. 7-8 knots seemed to be the most productive but our speed was solely chosen to get our tow to it's destination quickly and keep the pyros/exhaust under 1000*f. Yes, 24 hours a day under way most of the time.

Are you guys aloud to pack guns in case of pirates. Or is that not a concern?

[MarkFromSea]

Guns on board are against company policy. It's been quite a while since a commercial vessel had a pirate issue along Central America, Cuba, Puerto Rico.

We did have seven stowaways on our barge returning from Dominican Republic. They ran out of food/water, gave themselves up. We were only 280 miles from Mobile, BUT, turned around and hauled them back to Dominican Republic. Cost the company at least $250k, $140k in just fuel, and an additional 11 days of sailing time just to haul them back.

Below, a picture of our transit through the Panama Canal. Our little 115 ft tug hauling The Point Defiance, LSD 31, amphibious landing ship dock. LSD 31 saw action in Viet Nam, carried Marines, transports landing craft in the wet, or, flood-able deck. We hauled her to Brownsville to be scrapped.

[yooper_fisher]

I thought you were absent for a while Mark. Glad you made it back to civilization and sounds like you may have had an adventure or two.

[MarkFromSea]

I thought you were absent for a while Mark. Glad you made it back to civilization and sounds like you may have had an adventure or two.

It was a good trip. Not great. More happened than I can write about and still keep it short. I'm glad to be back and I'm looking forward to going back out when Robyn finishes her treatment for cancer. She's had 15 radiations and 3 chemos now, she is at the half way point on the initial treatment. If all goes well, a month or two and I'll be back on the big boat.